Firefighters free deer tangled in downed power line in Camp Fire aftermath

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Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Firefighters free deer trapped in power line in Camp Fire aftermath
The Mohawk Valley Rural Fire District said a Pacific Gas & Electric worker found a deer trapped in downed utility lines and notified firefighters. A four-man crew responded, freeing the animal before it ran back off into the wilderness.

PARADISE, Calif. -- Firefighters in Northern California came to the rescue of a deer that had become entangled by downed power lines in the aftermath of the devastating Camp Fire.

The Mohawk Valley Rural Fire District said a Pacific Gas & Electric worker first found the animal in distress and notified firefighters. Mohawk Valley's four-man crew from Marcola, Oregon, responded to the call, and video shared by the department showed a first responder standing behind a tree for protection as he untangled the utility line from the deer's antlers.

After it was freed, the deer stared at the firefighters for several moments before darting back off into the wild.

The Camp Fire, burning in Butte County, is California's deadliest and most destructive wildfire in recorded history. The blaze, which nearly decimated the town of Paradise, has been blamed for 81 deaths and has destroyed more than 18,000 structures as of Nov. 21.

PHOTOS: Deadly Camp Fire burns through Butte County, California

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In this aerial photograph, an evacuee encampment is seen at a Walmart parking lot in Chico, California on November 19, 2018.
Josh Edelson for the Washington Post